MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A local organization that aims to increase familiarity with the outdoor life in North Central West Virginia wants Morgantown area students to take part in a class where they can learn what edible items can be found out in the wild Saturday, April 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m..
The Mountain Stewardship and Outdoor Leadership School (Mountain SOL) has started foraging classes at Mason Dixon Historical Park for kids of all ages, where participants will get a chance to explore portions of the park and learn about what kinds of berries, flowers, and other plants can be used for edible products. Educator Lauren Martin will be on hand along with several other volunteers who will offer guided tours around popular foraging areas that can be seen around North Central West Virginia.
“So the class is going to be going through and finding some wild edibles so that you can see kind of where they grow and what parts we will be picking and using,” said Martin.
Participants in the foraging classes will have Mountain SOL educators lead them around parts of the Mason Dixon Historical Park to see both berry bushes and flowers that are common in this area of the Mountain State. According to Martin, among them are purple dead nettle and traditional spring dandelions, as well as blackberries and elderberries, which have started to grow as we head into the spring. Once forageable plants are recognized, educators will then teach about the benefits of each one and how they can be used in food and drink items.
“We’ll talk about how to use them, like some things are better for, like, a salad, some things would go great in a stir-fry, just kind of looking at what’s there in the area,” said Martin.
According to Martin, the skills learned during the foraging classes are expected to be able to be applied to crafting at home. Along with material to help identify berries and flowers that can be safely foraged, there will also be recipes for teas and food items that can be made using plants just outside of their back door. Each of the recipes will be simple to make and will require minimal costs at any grocery store.
“It especially is a great time for yard salad and yard tea,” said Martin. “Things like dandelions and violets—a lot of people love foraging for ramps, that would be more like in the woods, but I really think this time of year is a great time to be foraging.”
The foraging classes hosted by Mountain SOL will be one of several after-school activities that will be hosted throughout the spring and the summer. This will coincide with the Mallards program for younger students, the Mapaches for cartography, along with Wildcraft Wednesday and bird-themed programs on Thursday. With the programming free to attend, Martin encourages any Morgantown area kids who are looking to do something outdoors to give it a try.
“We’re definitely going to be talking about all the cool stuff and get you some visual aids so that you can go then and look in your yard or your neighborhood park so you can find some cool things,” said Martin.